I never saw it as a kid, or at least do not remember it. However, some of the episodes are available on YouTube. Considering its intended juvenile audience, the time period in which it was made, and of course budget restrictions, it's actually decent, or at least the portions I've seen are; I've definitely seen much worse! I'll let you judge.

Question: which engines were used in this series? Sierra 3 shows up of course, but it is mixed in with shots of some narrow-gauge equipment, including an outside-framed 4-6-0. What engine is it (or, perhaps, was it)?

Since we are on the subject of Casey Jones, Hollywood style, and because they are both just fun, I've got to include these two items from Walt Disney.

Wow! I never knew there was a cartoon version of that. As a kid, I had the book version of it, and remember it well. I thought it was great, though at the time I didn't realize it was loosely based on a true story. :) It was only later when I found out about live steam and that Walt had a backyard railway did I understand where the idea came from.

Thanks for posting that, brought back some good memories.

brandi_n_la

Post subject: Re: Casey Jones (TV Series, 1958)

Posted: Tue Jul 13, 2010 4:59 pm

Joined: Wed Apr 20, 2005 5:34 pmPosts: 46Location: SoCal

Any idea which episode(s) the possible #85 appears in?

Brandi

dinwitty

Post subject: Re: Casey Jones (TV Series, 1958)

Posted: Tue Jul 13, 2010 5:20 pm

Joined: Wed Oct 22, 2008 8:18 pmPosts: 2184

back when I was young, a local TV station had a morning TV celebrity on saturday called Engineer John running cartoons for the kids, he had his mockup cab of a steam engine.

first time I heard about the casey jones show. Will have to check it out.

choochoodennis

Post subject: Re: Casey Jones (TV Series, 1958)

Posted: Tue Jul 13, 2010 7:01 pm

Joined: Mon May 31, 2010 12:29 amPosts: 10

On low budget TV shows, the producers had to be very clever to get the footage they needed. That's why you see three engines, both standard and narrow gauge with inside frame and outside frames being passed off as the same locomotive.

Then, as now, steam trains aren't as easy as cars, trucks or even airplanes to deal with and that is one reason why you don't see a lot of train movies.

I think the John Frankenheimer-directed "The Train," with Burt Lancaster was about the most authentic you could get. Lancaster again and Kirk Douglas with Doyle McCormack and No. 4449 in "Tough Guys" was a good yarn also.

Anyway, as far as the Casey Jones engines go:

The cab I think was a mock-up based on Rio Grande Southern No. 20 that was built for the movie "Ticket to Tomahawk." Such a prop could be saved for further use on other productions. (Loved the 300 PSI on a late 1800's engine!)

I spot footage of the No. 20 (on the Rio Grande below Silverton?) sporting the antlers it got for "Ticket To Tomahawk."

Other footage is obviously of Sierra No. 3.

I would have to agree that the outside frame locos and the two track race took place on Travel Town trackage. Travel Town had the advantage of being right in Griffith Park Los Angeles and thus the producers could economically shoot in Hollywood not far from their studio. If they had to travel to Colorado, northern California or anywhere else, they could not have done it on a TV show budget. A well know in the movie industry quote is of a tight-fisted producer saying no to the making an out of town movie because, "A tree is a tree, a rock is a rock, shoot it in Griffith Park!"

My guess the producers bought the right to use clips of the non Travel Town locomotives from other studios or producers in a common practice called "stock footage." I really doubt the Casey Jones show shot them.

I did see the show as a kid and of course thought everything was great. Now as an adult I guffawed at the hokum but really enjoyed seeing it again.

I was dumbstruck at the sped up footage making 10 mph looking like 50!

As all of what I said is from memory, please add corrections.

_________________Dennis A. Livesey

J3a-614

Post subject: Re: Casey Jones (TV Series, 1958)

Posted: Tue Jul 13, 2010 7:34 pm

Joined: Fri Mar 05, 2010 3:41 amPosts: 3141Location: Inwood, W.Va.

Thanks to all for your kind words of appreciation. Real credit should go to the people who preserved and shared this footage and others on YouTube, and to the people who invented the internet, even if they may have included Al Gore! :-)

The only episode I've actually seen so far is what would be the pilot ("Night Mail"), and the outside-framed 4-6-0 shows up in several places, The first ones I took note of for time signatures are in the first segment, at about 3:00 and 5:00; there are others.

I was aware of stock footage work, but was not aware of RGS 20 in "Ticket to Tomohawk" (haven't seen that one--how is it?)

Most interesting is the race on the parallel trackage; it looks like the same engine is used for both, using a form of double exposure or double printing technique called a "matte" shot. Basically, this involves covering up half of the film and shooting or exposing one element of the image (sometimes in the camera, sometimes in the film printer), and then covering this piece and shooting or exposing the other part of the image; special effects movies like Star Wars make great use of the technique, but it's also used for other purposes, too. Notice how trees, piles of ties, poles, shanties, and other objects are so conveniently in the middle of the frame during the racing shots. . .actually, this was a fairly expensive trick for this low-budget job, but unless you know what to look for, who would know? What kid would know in 1958?

I agree, it's hokey but fun, and makes me think I was born in the wrong time! In any event, I'll have to unwind with some of this stuff after fuming about C&O power and CSX!

Last edited by J3a-614 on Tue Jul 13, 2010 9:27 pm, edited 1 time in total.

christensenge

Post subject: Re: Casey Jones (TV Series, 1958)

Posted: Tue Jul 13, 2010 9:22 pm

Joined: Sun Aug 22, 2004 12:24 pmPosts: 147Location: Columbus, GA

softwerkslex wrote:

Outside frame 4-6-0? My bet is on Oahu Railway and Navigation #85, which was running as an attraction at Travel Town for many years.

I agree Steve!

That's the #85 and the Oahu coach , combine, and caboose - all from Griffith Park. There are also quite a few clips from "Ticket to Tomahawk" and Sierra #3 thrown in for good measure.

This is the first time I've seen the series since I was a kid. Its amazing how much I remembered.

Not too bad, and has Marilyn Monroe in an early role as a "showgirl" (euphenism!!) passenger along for the train ride.

Howard P.

_________________"I'm a railroad man, not a prophet."

Tim Gautreaux

Post subject: Re: Casey Jones (TV Series, 1958)

Posted: Tue Jul 13, 2010 11:19 pm

Joined: Wed Aug 25, 2004 11:01 pmPosts: 74Location: LA or NC

Did anyone recognize that Casey jones is played by Alan Hale Jr., AKA "The Skipper" in Gilligan's island?

choochoodennis

Post subject: Re: Casey Jones (TV Series, 1958)

Posted: Wed Jul 14, 2010 12:23 am

Joined: Mon May 31, 2010 12:29 amPosts: 10

Tim Gautreaux wrote:

Did anyone recognize that Casey jones is played by Alan Hale Jr., AKA "The Skipper" in Gilligan's island?

Sure, knew that.

Did you know that Hale Sr. was a contract player at Warner and played a lot with Errol Flyn in the 30' and 40's?

_________________Dennis A. Livesey

J3a-614

Post subject: Re: Casey Jones (TV Series, 1958)

Posted: Thu Jul 15, 2010 2:50 am

Joined: Fri Mar 05, 2010 3:41 amPosts: 3141Location: Inwood, W.Va.

Well, did a little more looking on YouTube, and could only find a couple of clips from "Ticket to Tomahawk;" still looks like a fun movie, has a wonderful nostalgic feel, almost along the lines of a couple of Doris Day movies made at about this time, "By The Light of Silvery Moon" and "On Moonlight Bay."

This noisy movie turned up in the vicinity of the "Ticket" clips--egads, what would the safety people of a certain eastern coal road think of this? What would the safety people of any railroad think of this?

That old three-strip Technicolor process just couldn't be beat, whether it's Marilyn Monroe or the Colorado Rockies, or both!

Enjoy!

I was born in the wrong time--and worse, other people have told me so!

Ted Miles

Post subject: Re: Casey Jones (TV Series, 1958)

Posted: Fri Jul 16, 2010 12:09 pm

Joined: Mon Aug 23, 2004 1:05 amPosts: 1140Location: San Francisco

folks,

to change the topic a little bit; yes Walt disney had a beautiful live steam locomotive that he ran in his back yard being cereful to avoid his wife's rose bushes.

The Walt disney Family Museum is now open here in san Francisco. It is a wonderful biographical look at the man and of course his mouse.

The whole train is on display with 16 mm color home movies showing it in operation at his home. (He was in the movie business after all)

Other railroad elements incluse the Disneyland and Santa Fe in the Park in Anahiem.

The movie The General which was filmed with real locomotives by Disney studios.

There is even a bit on the work of Ward Kimball and his railroad hobby and the visits that Disney made to Kemball's back yard railroad this one consisting of full size equipment. And it is narrow gauge!

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Google [Bot] and 33 guests

You cannot post new topics in this forumYou cannot reply to topics in this forumYou cannot edit your posts in this forumYou cannot delete your posts in this forumYou cannot post attachments in this forum